Overview of Art Therapy
Palliative care is a medical field that aims to decrease pain and improve quality of life for people suffering from serious diseases and their families. As defined by the World Health Organization, its goal is to identify, evaluate, and manage pain and other issues, whether they be physical, emotional, or spiritual, as quickly and effectively as possible. Due to the emotionally challenging nature of a critical illness, increasing numbers of patients are exploring alternative treatments to cope better and find relief. One of these is art therapy, which uses creative activities to enhance physical, mental, and emotional health.
The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) describes art therapy as guided by a professional art therapist and used across many sessions to enhance thinking and physical abilities, encourage self-esteem and self-understanding, build emotional resilience, boost insight, strengthen social skills, reduce and fix conflicts and distress, and promote societal and environmental change. Art therapy can help patients and families improve their self-understanding, lessen the symptoms they experience, and adjust to the intense life experiences associated with a terminal illness. When treatment options aimed at curing the disease are no longer helpful for patients with terminal illnesses, alternative treatments like creative arts therapies become highly significant because they can enhance their quality of life. These are particularly useful in medical fields that focus on patient comfort, such as palliative care and hospice care.
Who is needed to perform Art Therapy?
The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) states that art therapists should have at least a master’s degree. This means they need to have studied a lot after finishing college. While studying for this degree, they learn important information about psychology – the study of the mind and behavior – and creative arts, such as painting or sculpture. If these individuals want to be certified, they also need to complete a set number of hours in a practical setting under the guidance of experienced professionals, similar to training on a job. This is like an internship where they work in real-world situations.
Once they’ve fulfilled their educational requirements, they can get board certification. This is a kind of official recognition that shows they have all the necessary skills and knowledge. Licensing might also be required, but this depends on the rules of the state where they want to work. Both of these are given by the Art Therapy Credentials Board, the organization in charge of these things. This way, you can be sure that your art therapist has the right qualifications to help you effectively.
How is Art Therapy performed
Art therapy has a flexible approach when it comes to helping patients in palliative care, which means it’s used for easing symptoms and improving quality of life for those with serious illnesses. Different ways of using art therapy can be adapted based on what the patient needs, making it highly personal.
For instance, such therapy can be done on an inpatient or outpatient basis, meaning that patients can be treated in a hospital or at a clinic or even at home. Similarly, it can be carried out in a group setting, where multiple people participate together, or individually, which allows for one-on-one interaction between the patient and the therapist.
Art therapy can also take many forms, including visual arts, where patients create paintings or drawings; drama therapy, where acting or role-playing is used; dance/movement therapy, which encourages patients to express emotions through movement; and music therapy that uses sound as a form of healing.
The key idea is to create a safe space where patients can work through the very real physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges that come with serious illness. By using artistic mediums, the patient gets a chance to express their feelings and find a way to cope with their condition in a non-verbal and calming way.
What Else Should I Know About Art Therapy?
Since the beginning of time, humans have shown interest in the link between art and health. While the effectiveness of art therapy became pronounced in the early 1990s, it’s become mainstream today due to its positive impacts on healing and quality of life improvement. Art therapy is especially important for those dealing with severe illnesses such as cancer, heart failure, HIV/AIDS, dementia, and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Let’s break down how this kind of therapy helps with these conditions.
Art therapy has shown to be beneficial for cancer patients who deal with symptoms like fatigue, pain, anxiety, and others. Not only does it lessen these symptoms, but it also boosts their well-being. For example, women with breast cancer experience improvements in their quality of life, coping skills, perspectives, body image, and reductions in depression and anxiety through art therapy.
Heart failure patients are also positively impacted by art therapy. There aren’t enough studies to firmly establish a clear role for art therapy, however, one small study showed improved physical and emotional well-being, along with an improved quality of life.
HIV/AIDS patients, who not only deal with the physical burdens of their illness but also emotional suffering, find solace in art therapy. One small study found that after individual or group art therapy sessions, depression scores and health-related quality of life significantly improved in these patients.
Dementia patients, who often struggle with devastating neuropsychiatric symptoms, find promise in art therapy. Several studies suggest that art therapy improves their quality of life, perks up social behavior, boosts self-esteem, and catches their attention.
Lastly, ESRD patients who go through long term hemodialysis find improvements in symptoms like pain and itching through art therapy. Additionally, the therapy improves treatment compliance, health-related quality of life, and reduces anxiety and depression.
Art therapy is truly a complementary therapeutic approach that can provide measurable benefits to patients dealing with a variety of health conditions.